Shortlist 10 - Phillips Contemporary Day Sale (Hong Kong)
(Angel Otero & Katherine Bernhardt)
Angel Otero (B. 1981)
Drifter’s Escape
Oil paint skins collaged on resin coated canvas
84 x 60 inches
Executed in 2015
Signed, dated, and titled on reverse
Estimate: $19,200 - $32,100
My recommendation: Bid to $48,000.00
Result: $163,800 (includes premium)
Conversion: 1 HK Dollar = .13 US Dollar
Interested in this artist?
Artist Profile
Born in San Juan, painter and sculptor, Angel Otero makes bold paintings by applying thick layers of paint and dried out sheets of “oil paint skins” to his canvases. This involves applying paint to glass, scraping it off when it’s partially dry, and then re-applying the malleable “skins” to his canvases. This creates a layered and textured surface that has become his signature style, which the above painting is a striking example. He cites Poussin, de Kooning, and Picasso as his main influences, as well as Baroque Spanish painting.
My Take
Not yet 40 years old, Otero has a been a fast-rising star of the art scene, and is represented at 3 excellent US galleries: Lehmann Maupin (NY), Kavi Gupta (Chi), and Susanne Vielmetter (LA). In the past 4 months, he’s had some very strong auction results including two large horizontal paintings selling for over $100,000.00: March 3rd & March 9th, and a vertical work of the same size and similar composition to this lot that sold for $75,000.0 on March 4th. A winning hammer bid of $48,000 or less, will get you this great piece for $65,000.00 or less (plus applicable taxes and shipping costs). I’m a strong believer in his signature look and process, and being so young, his career and market have a long upward trend ahead. Get on board.
Phillip’s Lot Page
Artist Bio
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Katherine Bernhardt (B. 1975)
Green
Acrylic and spray paint on canvas
85 7/8 x 120 inches
Executed in 2019
Signed and dated on reverse
Estimate: $25,600.00 - $38,500.00
My recommendation: Bid to $60,000.00 (hammer)
Result: $139,230 (includes premium)
Conversion:1 HK Dollar = .13 US Dollar
Interested in this artist?
Artist Profile
For the past 15 years, Bernhardt has developed a style that I call Sloppy-Pop (patent pending), in which she has depicted models, Moroccan rugs, the Pink Panther, ET the Extra-Terrestrial, the Kool-Aid man, Garfield, and fetishized objects such as cigarettes, watermelons, palm trees, hamburgers, and many more. Bernhardt’s paintings are quickly executed and relay the joy of image and mark making that the viewer feels instantaneously. Many of her canvases have an all-over type composition with objects arranged in a seemingly playful, yet structured way giving the work an uncanny balance. Her art is playful and colorful, yet also an extremely relevant commentary on consumer culture, and the ever reaching grip that it has on all of us.
My Take
Bernhardt creates works quickly, is prolific, and is represented by leading contemporary galleries: Canada in NYC, Xavier Hufkens (Belgium), and Nanzuka (Japan) and has had shows at other prestigious galleries including Venus Over Manhattan, Salon 94, and Gavin Brown’s Enterprise (which merged with Gladstone in 2020). Bernhardt’s auction record is $125,000 (Aug 2020) and works of this size sell for $90,000.00 at galleries. This painting combines two of Bernhardt’s best subjects, the pink panther and cigarettes, with a striking green background.It all comes down to personal taste and which signifiers you like (toilet paper, bananas, windex, cigarettes, parrots, plants, tacos). This example is great to my eye. A winning hammer bid of $60,000 will get this piece for you all for roughly $80,000.00 (plus applicable sales taxes and shipping costs).
Phillip’s Lot Page
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